Welcome back to Coffee Break, a Greenspace Series where we dive deep with one of our team members to uncover their personal stories, perspectives, and new ideas — or maybe learn about some of their hidden talents we never knew about.
Kim Tsang
Kim Tsang has been at Greenspace for almost four years and was one of the first Case Managers to join our team. We sat down with Kim to learn a bit more about her journey to Greenspace, and here’s what we learned: it all started with the movie Matilda.
“When I was like a kid, I watched Matilda and I immediately thought, ‘I’m going to be a social worker,’ because I saw a little girl clearly not in the most supportive family and I thought it was so wonderful that a teacher jumped in to support her.”
Since then, Kim always knew she wanted to go into a ‘helping profession’. She chose to complete her undergrad in Psychology, without clarity on her final destination or the path to get there. Her ultimate career decision came during the final year of her undergrad, after difficult times in her personal life:
“This kind of came about because, during my time in university, I found myself in a pretty abusive relationship. It was my first relationship and pretty much everything you wouldn’t want to happen in your first relationship, happened in that relationship. I became quite isolated from my friends and when it ended, I just remember feeling so alone.”
Kim decided that if she could help even just one other person not have to feel that way, that’s what she would consider a fulfilling and meaningful career. With renewed determination, she moved on to complete her Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counselling Psychology at the University of Toronto. During her practicum, she started experiencing self-doubt regarding her ability to succeed in this line of work, but Kim quickly discovered that she really enjoyed supporting clients and was able to build her confidence through each new session.
She remembers a lot of the feedback from her students being focused on how relaxed she was and how human and relatable she was to them.
“I think people have a vision of what a therapist is or should be like. And this was my main concern too. I didn’t think people would take me seriously because I was too chill. But I guess it kind of worked in my favour because they felt, and shared, that they could relate to me.”
Kim continued with her practicum and after graduation was unsure of exactly where to go next. That’s when she found a position in Case Management at Greenspace, where she was able to bring her deep support skills, quirky personality, and unique fashion sense.
“Everyone at Greenspace thought I was really shy in my interview, but then I started working. I remember I was weird— our old office was kind of cold, so I wore like three parkas inside and a scarf. I was wearing slippers. I was constantly eating Tums.”
Her new role allowed her to use the skills she learned throughout her schooling and practicum to connect with people and therapists, with the benefit of a supportive and learning focused team environment. Now a Senior Case Manager, Kim is leading a team of six. She shared with us that though the Case Management team has expanded since she joined four years ago, they’ve continued to grow closer together.
“I think being so close and so comfortable with my team has helped me come out of my shell, because I am an introvert. In my general life, I am quite quiet and it’s just a testament to how comfortable—not even just case management—but how comfortable everyone at Greenspace has made me feel.”
